Evil liege
by Mia21
Summary: Kaylin, while busy with lots of other things, becomes the next target of an evil magician. Better than how it sounds, I promise! Includes Kaylin and Severn slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, so sorry for the short first chapter! It was supposed to be longer but I had a harder time than I thought writing the guy meets girl, guy likes girl and asks to see her again. Hope it was OK. Please read and review!**

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Kaylin sighed as she and Severn began making their way towards Elani Street. It was only Monday, and already they were being sent to investigate a theft. Kaylin reminded herself to be glad it wasn't a murder, but it did bring her spirits down because it was only the first day of her week, and if that was bad it would only get worse. Luckily for them, someone had actually witnessed the thief and was waiting for them near Evanton's shop. Unluckily for them, their presence on Elani was noted. They had no sooner stopped to talk to the young man, when other people, shop-owners and customers, began to inundate them. One of them was Kaylin's least favorite shop-owner, and there was no way Kaylin was going to start her week by dealing with Margot. By the way Severn's shoulders tightened, she'd guess that he saw her coming too.

 _She's all yours._ She told him.

Severn smiled a bitter smile. _You owe me big time, you know that right?_

 _Don't I always?_

But Severn did begin walking to intercept Margot. Which gave the witness time to study Kaylin.

"I'm Royun Eskin. I saw the thief early this morning." He told her.

"Kaylin Neya," She offered. "What happened?"

"I was down by Drishti's stall when this guy rushed past me, shoved me out of the way. Next thing he had disappeared into the crowd and then Larkyn came saying, 'Where'd he go? That man was a thief!' It was only then that I started to put it together."

"Can you give me a description?" Kaylin asked.

"Sure. He was a tall guy, probably six foot, and very muscular. Short black hair and green eyes."

Kaylin nodded, thinking that every detail helped.

"Thank you, and for being willing to come forward." She told him.

Royun kinda shrugged, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Kaylin said.

"This may be weird, but can I see you again?"

Kaylin was silent for a full minute as she stared at him. "Are you asking me on a date?" She asked.

Royun grinned. "Well, yeah."

It was Kaylin's turn to shrug. "Sure. You can usually find me in the Hawks wing of the Halls of Law.

Kaylin was quiet as she and Severn walked back toward the Halls of Law. This was the first time anyone had ever asked to willingly spend more time with Kaylin, especially a random guy that she'd just met. She was secretly glad Margot had taken Severn's attention, as she doubted Royun would have asked her that question if they were together.

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 **I have the next several chapters done so I should be updating fairly quickly, at least until I get to a point where I'm writing more. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, slightly longer chapter this time, but I can't promise they won't go back to being short. Hope everyone is enjoying, please read and review!**

 **-Mia21**

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It had been almost a month, and Kaylin was somehow finding the time to regularly see Royun, although he was learning just how busy her life was. Their first several dates had been interrupted, the first one he had taken her to sit in on his weekly pottery class. The midwives guild had called for her. The second date, Royun had been showing her where he'd grown up, Severn had interrupted that one, explaining that the hawklord had dispatched them to help in locating a dangerous criminal. The third date saw Royun telling Kaylin it was her turn, so she began showing him around the places that were most important to her, just as well that she ended up near the foundling halls, as Marrin needed her. A week later saw Royun coming to find Kaylin at home with Helen. When she asked him what was up, he sighed and began by apologizing before telling her he had thought about this long and hard and come to a decision. As busy as her life was, he still felt she needed to make time with him her priority. His bottom line was that she either choose him or her job. When Kaylin tried to explain that being a Hawk was what she'd always most wanted, he had the same answer, him or the job. She ended up telling him that she was the one who was sorry, but that she just couldn't find it in herself to give up the job she had worked so long and hard to be good at. He sighed again, nodded, kissed her cheek, and told her goodbye.

The next morning saw Severn and Kaylin going out to investigate a murder that happened near Elani Street. Kaylin's thoughts were still in turmoil, so she spent most of that morning in silence. Severn, of course, noticed.

"All right, what's wrong?" he asked. Kaylin thought about lying for a minute, but this was Severn, who knew her better than she knew herself, and she knew her face would give her away anyway. She sighed.

"You know I've been seeing Royun?" she asked. He nodded. "He came to see me last night with an ultimatum, him or this job. Obviously, I explained I couldn't just up and leave the hawks, nor would I want too. So he said goodbye and left."

"I'm sorry," Severn told her. "But I'm glad you made the choice for yourself and not for him." Kaylin sighed again.

"I'm just beginning to wonder if my life is always going to be this way."

"For a while, until you find the one person who understands you."

Something in his voice made Kaylin pause and look up at him, she stood for several moments staring at him, then asked, "What do you really think?"

It was Severn's turn to sigh, "I think a better option is available to you."

"Oh?" She asked, curious despite herself. He just nodded, then said, "What I told you a month ago is still true."

Kaylin's traitorous mind brought that particular conversation to its forefront.

They'd been walking from the Halls of Law towards Elani Street. Kaylin had wanted to know why he'd been avoiding her. Severn had asked if it were possible for her to take her name back. She had told him not without killing him. Severn had told her he never wanted to try to force her to do something that wasn't her decision, as he had with the arcanist.

"It's hard enough without the constant…"

"Constant what? Danger?"

"No, Kaylin. Not danger. Not magic. Not chaos. Not the possible end of the world. Ever since you left Nightshade, I've faced that one way or the other. I'm sorry."

"Without what?"

"Desire. You asked. And now you're panicking. I don't want to frighten you."

"I'm not—You're not—I'm—

"I know. I will not say I'm waiting for you. I'm not _waiting_. You're my partner. You're my backup. My life is in your hands."

"Mine is in yours."

"Yes. But you're the only person I see when I look toward the future. That may change. It may have to change. But regardless, you're my partner."

"Except when you feel guilty and ignore me?"

"Except then."

"I knew,"

"Because of the name?"

"Partly. I don't want-"

"I know. But here's the thing: you have to know. Whether it's yes or no. You have to know."

"Next time, tell me? I mean, if you feel guilty, apologize—that's what most of us do. But don't—don't just disappear."

 _You have to know. You have to know that this is something you want, and not because I want it. Not because what I want overwhelms what you want._

Remembering the conversation, Kaylin realized that he had been waiting, for her to say or do _something_. She remembered thinking that she was afraid she would be able to reciprocate Severn's feelings. He was the only person she'd given her name to, and as she thought about it now, she realized that she'd always loved Severn. Really, it made perfect sense. And he was right. He was the one person who understood her, her job, her power, and how she used it to help the midwives guild. He would never tell her it was him or her job, he was already a big part of her job.

"Okay." Kaylin whispered.

Severn stopped walking and turned back towards her. _You're answer's yes?_ He asked, remembering that she couldn't lie to him through her name.

 _Yes._ She told him, nodding.

 _Why? What changed?_

 _Thinking about it just now, I realized that I've always loved you. And I think it's time for us to give it a real try._

Severn just smiled, before he went back to leading the way, saying, "Come on."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, sorry that this chapter is short again, but the next one is super long. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, let me know by reviewing!**

 **-Mia21**

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The body that they'd come to inspect was a young woman. She was undressed, and her body was covered in strange markings, like and unlike Kaylin's markings. When she first saw her, Kaylin had a nasty flash of Déjà vu, but as she looked closer she realized the markings were the same language but not the same ones Kaylin's skin wore. This woman's marks were more angular, and Kaylin couldn't explain it, but they seemed evil. She carefully observed everything, wondering if Tiamaris or Sanabalis would be able to read them.

After she and Severn spent some time with the dead woman, they covered her and began heading back to the Halls of Law. Kaylin took a brief detour to the Tha'alani quarter to ask if Yebelline would accompany them back to the Halls of Law .When they arrived, it was to head directly up to Lord Grammayre's tower, which they found occupied by Lord Grammayre and Lord Sanabalis.

'Perfect,' Kaylin thought, relieved she wouldn't have to go looking for him. After explaining to them both about the dead woman and her strange markings, Kaylin let Yebelline take the memory from her. Yebelline then replayed it for them both on Lord Grammayre's mirror.

Sanabalis studied the mirror carefully, then said, "Those would be the symbols from someone using death magic," Kaylin was about to ask what that was when Sanabalis saved her the trouble and continued."I.e., someone using the old ones magical symbols to gain power from others' deaths." Sanabalis turned to regard Kaylin with a slight frown as he finished speaking. Because of her history with Sanabalis, she had a feeling she knew what his frown indicated.

"Let me guess. If whoever's doing this managed to kill me, they'd get unspeakable power."

"I believe so, yes." Sanabalis said.

"Our aim, then, is to prevent that," Lord Grammayre said. "Severn, make sure she goes nowhere alone." He nodded.

"We will strive to track this man down and end his threat." Grammayre told them, which sounded good to both of them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all, hope everything is going you guys are enjoying so far, please let me know by reviewing! So this chapter is probably my longest one, you'll see why shortly. Hope you like it!**

 **-Mia21**

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The next week passed slowly for Kaylin, as there were six more bodies that the hawks were investigating, but Kaylin had been forbidden to get involved. The good news was, it allowed her and Severn to spend time together away from work. They talked about the past, and how Kaylin had forgiven Severn for killing Steffi and Jade when they went through the test of name and the High Halls had told her it was her responsibility, not his. They also talked about the current case, about the kind of person who would kill others to gain power.

A day after the week had passed found Marcus sending a runner to call Severn into active duty. They had found the killer, a magician who called himself a diabolist, his name was Mazaren. The runner was supposed to stay with Kaylin, but after she said a quick goodbye to Severn, she slipped out the back way, following him to an old abandoned fortress in the outskirts of the city proper. She was surprised when she saw not only the Hawks heading in, but also the Swords and Wolves. She slipped inside after they were all in, trying not to stop walking to watch the fighting. She went up to the second level to watch from there, remembering that she wasn't supposed to be there. This Mazaren had an entire group of others, more magicians she guessed, who were willing to fight for him, but the Hawks, Swords, and Wolves were slowly cutting the group down to size.

"Hello, little goddess." A pleasant but sinister voice behind her said. Kaylin turned, to find herself facing a tall man with black hair and green eyes. She realized that this was the man who had been responsible for the theft that first introduced her to Royun.

"What is it that you want?" Kaylin asked, stalling, desperately trying to come up with some way to get back down.

"You already know what I want, little goddess."

"The only way the magic leaves me is if I'm dead."

He laughed then, the sound low and oily, making her skin crawl. "Then your death is imminent little one, that is, if you want them to live."

He gestured to the floor below them and she glanced over the balcony rail to find the Swords, Wolves, and her fellow Hawks locked in deadly combat with Mazaren's dark mages. Teela and Tain, Clint and Tanner, and even Marcus. All friends, all people she wanted to protect. And Severn, whom she wanted safe most of all. She had only recently discovered her depth of feeling for him, but suddenly he was the most important thing in her world. _'I wonder if this is how he's always felt about me,'_ she wondered briefly.

Then she looked back at Mazaren. "You'll let them go?"

He nodded. "In exchange for your sacrifice, they will go free."

"How do I know you're telling the truth, that you won't just kill them once you're finished with me?"

She had to make sure that they survived, that Severn survived.

"I promise you, Kaylin Neya, they will leave this place unharmed; and Diabolists are not allowed to break their promises."

It was as much a guarantee as she was going to get from him. "Get them all out and then I'm yours."

He sidled up next to her, leaned over the balcony and signaled to one of his dark mages. There was a sudden deafening explosion, then a cry of retreat as smoke filled the room and bits of wood and brick reigned down.

"Happy?" he asked as the Swords, Wolves, and Hawks began retreating.

"Not until-" She started, but was cut off when he wrapped a hand around her throat and began backing her slowly across the hall.

"I have been very patient with you, Kaylin Neya, but even I have limits."

He made a sharp, guttural sound and something hit her from behind, sinking what felt like a rack of small knives into her back. She screamed and wrenched out of his grip, hitting the wall and driving the claws in that much further. Kaylin looked around wildly for a weapon but another of the things latched itself on to her left arm, piercing deep enough to hit bone. Then another attached itself to her right thigh. She went down to her knees, blinded by pain and fear, only to realize that the things weren't continuing any attack. Instead, they forced her onto her back, pinning her helplessly to the floor as their master approached.

He went to his knees by Kaylin's side, and she could feel her magic draining.

He was beginning to feed.

He ran his hands up her arms, across her shoulders, down her breasts and stomach. His claws appeared and he ripped her shirt and under bodice apart at the seams. He smiled, bent down, and flicked his tongue across the skin of her breasts. "You taste delicious. Pity I have to kill you, we could have so much fun."

Before she could so much as think of a retort Kaylin felt a claw sink into the soft flesh of her abdomen. And without him uttering a single word she knew what he planned to do. He was going to slit her open like he had her clothing, opening her up so he could feed on something along with her magic. He was going to devour her alive.

Kaylin told herself that she wasn't going to scream as she felt that claw begin to tear through her flesh. He withdrew it for a moment, to lick at his blood stained skin, letting her watch as drops of her own blood ran down his arm. One fell off his elbow onto her lower stomach and he paused to lick it up, his tongue slick and cold against her skin. Then he inserted his claw and ripped her flesh open a little wider.

He was deliberately going slowly, splitting skin and muscle a centimeter at a time, pausing every few seconds to watch the blood seep out, spilling down her side and onto the floor. Then he would drink, sending violent, sickened shudders coursing through her. She was sobbing now, though she had told herself not to make a sound, but he seemed to be enjoying her terror as he lapped up her blood.

He wanted her to know that this was going to be a long painful process, that her death would be anything but quick and easy.

And it wouldn't have been, except for the pissed off love of her life that she had, once again, underestimated. He came out of nowhere, plunging his blade into Mazaren's neck all the way up to the hilt.

"Severn!" she cried as Mazaren choked and gagged, staggering back from them.

"Hello, sweetheart." Severn bent and, with a knife, detached the creatures from her right thigh and left arm. He swore when he saw her stomach, a phrase in Leontine that she had never heard, before he lifted her enough to get the third creature off of her back. Then he picked her up completely and, tucking her firmly against his chest, practically flew down the stairs, across the bottom floor of the compound and out. By that time Kaylin was lost in a world of pain, the raw nerve endings around the gash in her abdomen on fire. He gently set her down half propped against another building wall before ripping her shirt into lengths of bandages and using it to stop the blood flow from her arm, thigh, back and stomach. He then overlapped the two ends of her bodice and tucked them into her breeches, tightening her belt to secure it and keep pressure on her wound.

"Better?" Severn asked.

Kaylin nodded, breathing deep. Severn gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and then cupped her face in his hands. She stared into his serious blue eyes and tried to quell the urge to kiss him.

"Don't ever do that again. You scared the hell out of me."

She smiled weakly. "Sorry."

He smiled back. "Can you walk? The Lords of Law are regrouping at a manor house not far from here."

She nodded and he helped her rise, but after a few miserable steps he simply picked her up again and kept walking. Normally it would have bothered her to be treated as an invalid, but at this point anything was preferable to stressing her wound any further.

She had nearly slipped over the edge of unconsciousness when the Hawklord's voice called her back.

"Kaylin?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him from the safety of Severn's arms. But all she saw was worry and fear, no anger.

"I'm alright." It was weak and she knew it. So did he.

"I don't know about that. But you're alive and that's what counts," He looked at Severn, or rather she assumed that, since his eyes left hers and traveled somewhere above her head. "What happened?"

Severn couldn't shrug as he still carried Kaylin, but his answer was simple anyway. "Mazaren."

The Hawklord nodded and began to say something else, but Kaylin was distracted by a humming noise. It took her a minute or two to realize that it wasn't just her exhaustion, and when she did she tried to figure out where it was coming from.

"Kaylin?" This time it was Severn, who gently set her down but kept an arm around her just in case.

"Do you hear that sound?" she asked, standing perfectly still so she could figure out where it was coming from. But it was the prickling on the back of her neck that gave it away. She turned slowly, looked up into the sky, and drew a sharp breath. Beside her, Severn went still and the Hawklord straightened into a perfect 'at attention' stance. For there on the horizon, and drawing quickly closer, were six dragons. Sanabalis and Tiamaris she knew at once, and she could guess that the second pair of dragons were Lord Diarmat and Lord Emmerian. This meant that the one flying in the front of the formation was the Dragon Emperor himself, and the dragon beside him was Belusdeo. Kaylin wondered if Mazaren really warranted the entire court showing up, and in dragon form. But he was an evil magician that happened to be well versed in ancient rituals and the Old Ones language, so she supposed she understood.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, finally got this chapter done. Not sure if I'll write more yet, but we have reached the end of this particular story. Hard to tell if you guys are liking it okay, since I still have yet to get any reviews! So, hope you enjoy!**

 **-Mia21**

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The dragon emperor turned towards their little ragtag group and asked, "Where is he?"

 _Hopefully dead_ Severn said.

Kaylin couldn't help but grin, but then was surprised when, of the three Lords of Law, it was Lord Grammayre who stepped forward and bowed.

"We believe he's still in the building, My Lord."

The emperor turned back towards Tiamaris.

"Go and find out."

Tiamaris bowed, "my Lord."

Tiamaris then headed towards the door into the building and disappeared inside. He came back out about fifteen minutes later, his fingers clamped around Mazaren's upper arm.

"He was gravely wounded, but was using his magic and his followers' lives to regenerate." Tiamaris told them.

Severn threaded his fingers through Kaylin's, which actually did help her to stand still. Just then, the emperor turned towards her.

"Kaylin Neya. We'd like to keep this one," his head nodded towards Mazaren then, "under control before his trial. To that end, may we borrow your bracer?"

Kaylin was surprised he asked, since all he had to do was command to have it, but she nodded anyway, her fingers already dancing over the gems, although she made sure Mazaren couldn't see the sequence. When the bracer clicked open, Severn took it from her and began carrying it towards the emperor. He frowned when he saw this. "Are you alright, Kaylin Neya?"

Kaylin felt herself blushing a little, but nodded anyway.

"Not for lack of Mazaren trying, when he realized that with my markings, my death could give him a massive amount of power."

The emperor nodded as if he understood. "Ah."

After that, the dragons, with their prisoner, returned to the palace. The Wolves and the Swords left as well, leaving the Hawks to round up all of Mazaren's remaining followers.

Kaylin was still forbidden from helping, so Severn walked with her back towards the Halls of Law. Returning to the Halls of Law meant subjecting herself to Moran's fretting, and careful stitching up of her wounds. Kaylin decided the one downfall of having a healing gift was that it didn't work on herself. Although she didn't feel bad about squeezing Severn's fingers while Moran was working. He, at least, knew how it felt.

A week later, Kaylin wasn't surprised when she heard that Mazaren had indeed had a trial before the court and had been found guilty. He had been sentenced to death in two days' time.

After Mazaren's execution, neither Kaylin nor Severn were astonished when the bracer showed back up in Severn's care. He returned it to Kaylin.

Two weeks later saw Kaylin, happily, returning to work, her wounds, mostly, healed. She was glad that everything seemed to be back to normal, no more bodies had turned up with strange markings, no more bodies' period. Murder seemed to be declining, and Kaylin wondered if that had to do with the appearance of the emperor and the other dragons. But it also meant that their job was a lot less interesting, except that it gave Severn and Kaylin time to spend together while still working. There was one thing Kaylin had to work on, and that was not worrying about Severn when he wasn't with her, which wasn't often. Helen had gotten rather used to Severn dropping in for dinner, and showing up in the morning to walk Kaylin to work. She'd even, with very little complaint, fixed an extra bed in Kaylin's room for those nights when Severn stayed. And he didn't complain when she had to dash out to help the midwives. All in all, life, and her relationship, was going great.


End file.
